Foreignization of Taoism in Robert Bly’s Poetry

Yan+Li

【Abstract】As one of the mostly common chosen translation strategies， foreignization is closer to source language， aiming at maintaining the original flavor and foreignness of the source text to the largest extend. It is a source-language-oriented strategy. With the strategy of foreignization in translation， this paper perceives and analyzes foreignization of Taoism in Blys poetry.

【Key words】Foreignization； Robert Blys Poetry； Taoism

1. Introduction

Robert Elwood Bly （1926- ） is one of the strongest and most respected poets of the second half of the twentieth century in America. He has been one of the most influential figures not only upon his many books of poetry and translations， but also his popular poetry readings as well as his active political presence in protest against the Vietnam War.

Blys poetry is deeply influenced by ancient Chinese poems and the Chinese culture， although he never comes to China nor knows Chinese. On the one hand， he translates ancient Chinese poems by Tao Yuanming， Wang Wei， Tu Fu etc. through reading the English versions of the ancient Chinese poems. On the other hand， Bly creates his own poetry under the influence of the ancient Chinese poems and the Chinese culture， especially his nature poems which depict the scenery of his hometown， Minnesota.

When translating ancient Chinese poems and creating his own poetry， Bly maintains the original flavor and foreignness of the source text to the largest extend which corresponds with what foreignization， one of the mostly common chosen translation strategies， advocated. With the strategy of foreignization in translation， this paper perceives and analyzes foreignization of Taoism in Blys poetry.

2. Foreignization

As one of the mostly common chosen translation strategies， foreignization is closer to source language， aiming at maintaining the original flavor and foreignness of the source text to the largest extend. It is a source-language-oriented strategy. Shuttleworth & Cowie claim that in order to preserve the original foreignness of the source text， the common principles of target language are deliberately destroyed in foreignization translation process.（Shuttleworth& Cowie， 1997：59） In foreignization translation， the source language is respected so that the rule of target language is broken.

3. Foreignization of Taoism in Robert Blys Poetry

3.1 Return to Simplicity

Lao Tzu asserts that it is essential to Return to Simplicity. Simplicity， which means “uncarved block” or “virgin block” of wood， symbolizes a passive state of receptiveness and a state of pure potential and perception without prejudice.

To answer the Taoists reclusion calling and emphasize his high praise of Taoism， Bly keeps faithfully to original Taoist ideas in his poetry in order to maintain the original flavor of the source text. Bly elaborately translates two of the most well-known poems “Drinking Songs” by Tao Yuanming. The following is the “Drinking Wine No. 5”， in which the first six lines of the poem go like this：

结庐在人境，而无车马喧。

问君何能尔？心远地自偏。

采菊东篱下，悠然见南山。

Blys translation is：

Within the world of men I make my home，

Yet din of house and carriage there is none；

You ask me how this quiet is achieved，

An aloneness gathers around the soul that is alone.

I pick chrysanthemums underneath the east hedge，

The mountains to the south are clear.

（Bly， 1980）

This poem was written after his resignation in which he describes his life of Simplicity. In Blys translations， we can find that the poet is so relieved after he quits his job. Although he still lives amidst the human bustle， he can keep himself from social disturbance. In his world， there are no “din of house and carriage”， no corruption of the official circles. He just leads a simple and tranquil reclusive life which is cut off from the sophisticated political world. Therefore， he ignores all the bothering things around him， but only “picks chrysanthemums underneath the east hedge”.

As for “chrysanthemum”， we know it is a symbol of a hermit or recluse. Furthermore， Tao Yuanming is renowned for his strong preference over “chrysanthemum” so that he has been nicknamed as “Chrysanthemum Poet”. Bly admits that among the Chinese poets， Tao Yuanming influences him most. And he once specially wrote a poem entitled “Chrysanthemums （planted for Tao Yuanming， who likes them）”， which I shall discuss later. In order to show his praise of reclusion by using the image of “chrysanthemum”， Bly also translates Tao Yuanmings another “Drinking Song， No. 7”.

The first two lines of the original poem：

秋菊有佳色，裛露掇其英。

Blys translation is：

Such a strong color on the late chrysanthemums！

The stalk sways stoutly， flower wet with dew， open.

（Bly， 1980）

The original poem also depicts Tao Yuanmings reclusion after renounced his political career. In Blys translation， he faithfully keeps the original meaning of the poems， that is， through describing the beauty of chrysanthemums to show the poets reclusive and simple life.

3.2 The Union of Man with Nature

Taoism is a nature-based philosophy. In Taoism， nature is not merely the background of human activities， nor only the object of human meditation. On the contrary， Taoists clearly realize that human being is nothing but a small part of nature， rather than the ruler of nature. On the other hand， Taoism observes nature objectively， seeing the observer and the observed as one entire system. This is a very important principle of Taoism： the union of man and nature.

Obviously， Bly has learned the essence of this idea. He chooses to translate the poems depicting natural scenery belongs to “the Chinese hermitic tradition that reveals that harmony … that places man at one with the universe but only as part of a landscape” （Mcleod， 1983：170）. Reading Blys translations， one can easily discover that Bly almost completely sticks to the beauty of nature portrayed in the original Chinese poems.

The original poems are：

王维： 飞鸟去不穷，连山复秋色。

裴迪： 日落松风起，还家草露晞。

云光侵履迹，山翠拂人衣。

Blys translation：

The Hill of Hua-Tzu

Wang Wei： The birds fly away into the air that never ends；

the magnificence of fall comes back to the mountain.

Pei Ti： The sun goes down； there is wind sound in the pines.

Walking home I notice dew on the grass.

The white clouds look up at me from the tracks of my shoes.

The blue from the mountain touches my clothes.

（Bly， 1987）

In this poem， the description of nature is obviously Taoist-oriented. The view in the poem is self-generating and self-immanent， that is to say， the other world outside human beings needs neither thought nor supervision. According to Wai-lim Yip， “the objects and events in nature （echoing Chinese motifs） have a fairly spontaneous emergence without the poets disruptive commentary” （Yip， 1993：129）.

Some of Blys poems voice his longing for reclusion； for instance：

Old Broads

Ⅰ

I love to see boards lying on the ground in early spring；

The ground beneath them is wet and muddy—

Perhaps covered with chicken tracks—

And they are dry and eternal.

Ⅱ

This is the wood one sees on the decks of ocean ships，

Wood that carries us far from land，

With a dryness of something used for simple tasks，

Like a horses tail.

III

This wood is like a man who has a simple life，

Living through the spring and winter on the ship of his own desire.

He sits on dry wood surrounded by half-melted snow

As the rooster walks away springily over the dampened hay.

（Bly， 1962）

This poem like all the “country poems” from Silence in the Snowy Fields is short and simple with a calm rhythm and flat diction. However， the tone never departs from a cheery peacefulness. The first stanza is quite colloquial， depicting an ordinary farm scene： the poet finds some boards on the ground， under which it is wet and muddy with some chicken tracks， which suggests that the poets living surroundings are quite simple and hermitic. In the second stanza， the board reminds the poet of the decks of ships which “carries us far from land”； here “land” symbolizes the noisy world， which means the poet wants to stay away from the unnatural world in order to take a voyage but with “simple tasks”. In the last stanza the poet Bly points out what kind of life he is living. He is telling about his own life， who most often likes to live in a silent and wild place， where he is mediating upon the ideas of life.

4. Conclusion

In Chinese classical poetry translation， foreignization can do a good job on faithfully translating. It honestly reveals the original poets intention and target readers can have the much similar feeling that the poets intend to convey. In Blys poetry， he understands and take the essence of the original ideas in Taoism to show his spiritual pursuit. Undoubtedly， Blys poems are imbued with Taoist thought which brings aesthetic enjoyment as well as spiritual cultivation to us under the translation strategy of foreignizatoin whether he realizes it or not. Bly chooses a journey into heart by following the Tao in both life and writing， and thus achieves marvelous results in poetry. Blys belief in and practice of Taoism in both life and poems earns him reverence and makes a whole of his life as well. Therefore he is a great man and a great poet.

References：

[1]Bly，Robert.Jumping Out of Bed.New York：White Pine Press，1987.

[2]Bly，Robert.News of the Universe：Poems of Twofold Consciousness.San Francisco：Sierra Club Books，1980.

[3]Mcleod，D.The Chinese Hermit in the American Wilderness.Tamkang Review，Vol.14，No.1.1983.

[4]Shuttleworth & Cowie，Dictionary of Translation Studies[M].Manchester：St，Jerome Publishing，1997.

[5]Waley，A.（tran）.Tao Te Ching.Beijing：Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press，1998.

[6]Yip，Wai-Lim.Diffusion of Distances.Oxford：University of California Press，1993.

【基金项目】2015年云南省普洱学院项目“中国道家思想文化对美国现代诗人的影响—以罗伯特·勃莱为例”（2015xjkt08）。